Whether you’re vegan or not, weekly meal planning can be such a bore. Trying to figure out what your significant other or kids will want to eat sounds nearly impossible. Trying to figure out what you’ll feel like eating in five days is tough enough. But trust me, after a few weeks of going through this process, you’ll whip up five-day meal plans and a shopping list in minutes. Step 1: What can you make? How comfortable are you around the kitchen? What do you know how to make? Jot down a quick list of things you know how to make – your go-to meals. If you don’t have much experience cooking, start looking up a few simple recipes. Pasta dishes, sandwiches, fried rice, salads, even rice and coconut sambol can come together fairly quickly. The trick is to start off easy; you don’t want to overwhelm yourself with complicated, time consuming recipes just yet. Step 2: Review your schedule When meal planning for the week, review your schedule. Do you have plans for the week? Maybe you have after-work plans with your colleagues on Thursday night. You probably won’t need to prepare a dinner that night, or go with something that comes together in a few minutes. Are you going to the gym after work on Wednesday? You’ll need to make sure your Wednesday lunch is nutritious enough to fuel your workout. I personally find quinoa gives me that extra push to get through an after-work workout. Take all your plans into consideration when deciding what you’re going to eat each day. Make sure you consider how much time each meal will take to prepare and save the easier recipes for days that you are short on time. Step 3: Get some help This tip really helps if you live with your significant other or have kids. When meal planning over the weekend, ask your significant other what they would like to eat. Yes, I’m aware that the question “what do you want to eat?” is the root source of most arguments, but on the off chance that your significant other actually knows what they want to eat, it’ll be one less meal for you to think of. If you have kids, ask each child what they would like to eat and then have that child help you prepare the meal. You’ll have a helping hand in the kitchen and will be teaching your children some important life skills. Step 4: Prep If your meals call for lots of vegetables, try chopping items that won’t go bad on Sunday and keep them in the fridge. That way, if you’re doing a stir-fry or a curry, you can just toss in your veggies. The same goes for grains such as quinoa or couscous. Cook what you need over the weekend and store them in the fridge. By spending some time planning your weekday meals, you’ll eliminate the tendency to over-purchase food at the grocery store and will reduce the amount of food wasted. Think also of how much money you will save by preparing your own food instead of eating out all the time. By preparing your own food, you know exactly what’s going into it. It’s definitely the healthier choice. Pro-tip: Keep a list of the recipes that you use. You can quickly refer to items that you’ve already made, instead of thinking of new dishes to cook. By Sashika Gunawardana